Why fatties say everyone's to blame but themselves

These are some of the reasons the overweight give to explain their size because they are too ashamed to admit they simply eat too much, according to a study.

Researchers found there is such a stigma attached to being overweight that over-eaters are desperate to find something - or someone - else to blame.

The findings mirror comments by Hamish Meldrum, the head of the British Medical Association, who said patients were increasingly seeking weight-loss pills and surgery rather than trying to change their diet and do more exercise.

Karen Throsby of Warwick University questioned 35 patients who applied for such surgery on the NHS to discover why they felt it was the only solution.

She found there were three main types of excuses used by the overweight, according to a report published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.

The first was genetic, with many claiming they had a "fat gene" or that being big ran in their family. Others said they knew others who ate more than they did but never put on weight.

The second most common excuse was that the problem stemmed from their childhood. Many claimed relatives gave them food as a reward and others said their parents told them to eat up and think of the starving in Africa.

The third reason was that a stressful lifestyle had led to weight gain. Illness, divorce, bereavement and parenthood were all blamed for over-eating.

Women cited both happy and unhappy events as reasons for eating more and men said stressful occasions gave them a longing for beer, curry and fast food.

Miss Throsby said the excuses were the result of the way overweight people were pilloried by society.

"Those who become fat often find themselves needing to account for their size in order to refute the suggestion of moral failure that attaches itself easily to the fat body."

Colin Waine, chair of the National Obesity Forum, added: "Many patients seek explanations that absolve them, saying it's their genes or their glands. But in fact it's 99 per cent to do with food intake and lack of physical activity.

"Our genes haven't changed since before the Stone Age - yet obesity has escalated in the last 30 years."